Here is a special treat. I’m thrilled to have my friend J. R. Parker here to talk about his book and how he got published so young. His pen name is J.R. Parker, but it felt too starge to call him J. R., so I’m rebelling and calling him Jacob. His secret is out. Mwa ha ha!
Jacob is a super talented guy. I met him at a writer’s confernce a few years ago, and he was so shy! But I’ve learned the truth: he is not so shy at all.
Kestrel’s Midnight Song is a wonderful fantasy adventure filled with surprises. (See my endorsement here.) The book won a bronze in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards (see catagory 15). Jacob has been traveling the country doing book signings. He’s also a talented actor. He played Esek in a live-action book trailer for my second novel To Darkness Fled (Love the sword fighting–and that shirt!) He also played the staring role in his own book trailer for Kestrel’s Midnight Song. Check it out:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfIYqC5fW4k]
Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Jacob. Tell us a bit about Kestrel’s Midnight Song.
Kestrel’s Midnight Song is a hard book to sum up because the story is powered by events the reader doesn’t know about until the big twist at the end. But basically, there’s a legendary Marauder known as James Kestrel awaiting his hanging in a cell atop the dungeon tower. Meanwhile, Micah the shepherd boy is sent on a journey with no idea that he’s being used by the Marauders to fulfill a crucial role in their scheme to free Kestrel . . . and unleash the secret he’s guarding. It’s a young adult, old-world fantasy.
When did you start writing Kestrel’s Midnight Song?
I started writing Kestrel’s Midnight Song around my fifteenth birthday, finished the first draft around my seventeenth birthday, and it came out a few months after my nineteenth birthday. (Good birthday presents to myself, all around!)
Is this a self-published book?
No, Flaming Pen Press published my book. They reviewed the manuscript, accepted it, and did not require me to pay any production costs.
Do you recommend self publishing?
That depends on what you want to accomplish with your book. If you just want a copy to hold in your hands and give to a few friends and family, then self-publishing is definitely the way to go. If you want lots of people to buy and read your book, then I would advise against self-publishing in the vast majority of cases. Good publishers have experience, knowledge, connections, and money! The publishing world, especially at first, is big and confusing, so publishers are quite an asset to have. Also, there’s a stigma that comes with self-publishing. The assumption is that self-published books are self-published because they aren’t good enough to be published traditionally. That may not be the case, but that’s another barrier you’d be up against in trying to convince schools, stores, libraries to set up a promotional event for you, let alone convince people to buy your book.
But people have attained success with self-publishing. If you do it right, you can sell well, and in most cases you earn more money per book since you aren’t sharing that revenue with a publisher. (Though your costs can eat most, if not all, of that.) If you think jumping into the market with a self-published book is right for you, research, then research, then research some more. Also, be prepared for a lot of spending in time, effort and money. Editing, cover design, typesetting, book promotion, book tours—all of those things cost money. To give you an idea, Christopher Paolini’s parents sold their house in order to fund the publication of his now famous novel, Eragon. Then the family hit the road for a year, visiting 135 schools and libraries.
But overall my advice, especially for first-time authors, is to find a publisher.
That’s some great insight, Jacob. Yeah, selling the family house isn’t a reality for most people. What advice would you give teens who want to be writers and want to be published?
Reading and writing fiction, every day if possible, can’t be stressed enough. But it’s also important to read non-fiction. Study and learn the craft of writing fiction. Study and learn about how the industry works so that you won’t be tricked or find yourself caught in a situation you never wanted. Keep reading TeenageAuthor.com!
Aww. Thanks, Jacob! 🙂 So, tell us what are you working on next?
I’m working on a dystopian novel called Balloon Hunter. That’s all I will say about it because I’m trying to be a secret-ninja about the whole thing to pique everyone’s curiosity. This is actually the second place this news has been posted publicly (that I know of) on the net.
I know the premise! I know the premise! *dances* And I’ll say: it is very cool. I can’t wait to see that one published, Jacob. Where can we find you online? And where can we find Kestrel’s Midnight Song if we want to buy it?
My website is TeenFantasyAuthor.com (because TeenageAuthor.com was taken). 😉 My book is on sale at Amazon.com, BN.com, and available for order at just about any bookstore.
How can we help you be a success?
If you like an author and want to support him/her, there are three things you should do.
1. Buy their books new. If an author doesn’t sell enough books, the publisher will stop publishing his/her books. And although used books can help the book reach more people, they don’t count toward an author’s sales.
2. Post reviews. Amazon.com, BN.com, Goodreads.com, everywhere reviews are posted.
3. Tell all of your friends! Word of mouth is vital to a book’s success.
Thanks for visiting with us, Jacob! We’ll be watching your carreer closely, waiting for Balloon Hunter to hit the shelves. And if you guys want a taste of Jacob’s writing, you can read the prologue to Kestrel’s Midnight Song on his website by clicking here. (Click the link of the sidebar.)
Thanks for the interview, Jill! It was fun. 🙂
And, in truth, I was a more reserved person when I first met you at that writer’s conference. Touring around doing speeches and book signings has turned me into . . . someone who would dance on youtube with an ove glove and a cape. (It’s true.)
LOL
That’s funny. Hope we get to hang out at ACFW this fall so I have see the cape. jk 😛
Great interview! It’s encouraging to hear from those who have emerged from the scary world of publishing intact. There is hope for us yet! =)
He made some valid points on the differences between self-publishing and finding a reputable publisher. My English teacher decided, after years of rejection letters, to self-publish. He now makes about five dollars a month off his books. Not exactly enough to live off of, especially if you were to try and use it as a primary source of income.
Kestrel’s Midnight Song looks like an intriguing read; I’ll definitely have to check it out on Amazon. Looking forward to reading more from J.R. Parker in the future!
Oh, dear! Five dollars a month! Sigh. Thanks for sharing, Aloha!
Hi Aloha,
Thanks for the comment and interest in my book.
Your English teacher may not be on his way to a career as a writer, but now at least he has physical copies to hold and show to people. There is some value in that. 🙂
That’s a very good point, Jacob. I’m sure he’s frustrated, though.
Yeah, definitely.
Very good interview! Balloon Hunter…Sounds very very interesting. As a West Coast reader I *know* I’ll receive an ARC. 😉
As a west coaster, Millard, you MUST come visit me this summer at the OCW conference. Come on! It’ll be fun!!! 🙂
I concur. OCW is practically in your backyard, Millard.
Great interview. And J.R. (Jacob,) I bought two of your books for my grandsons. I had to read it before I gave it to the younger one. (Don’t tell him.) I thoroughly enjoyed your story and so did the boys. (ages 16 and 12)
Thank you! I’m glad everyone enjoyed it!
Hi Jacob! We met at the fair last September in Lewiston ID. I just wanted to stop for moral support and say hi. I wish you the best with your sales and perhaps I need to have you on my blog for an interview, too! I have many readers who enjoy the paranormal fantasy read.
We’ll be in touch!
Great interview, all!
Balloon Hunter! Now the news is out, J. R.! 😉 What a mind-bending book that will be… *gasp*grin*whoot* And it’s good to hear your sensible perspective on self-publishing. I was once in the devil-may-care camp of ‘hah, once I finish writing this, I’ll self-publish and skip the whole process’ … but now I’ve grown up. *sigh*snicker* ACFW is calling me. I’d better go write.
Awesome Esek-y picture, btw… you are _such_ a mean prince.
~Adele
An awesome photographer took that Esek-y picture. 🙂
Yes! ACFW! I can’t wait! It’s going to be awesome!!!
Finish that book, Adele!
*look how many exclamation points I used. Bad, Jill!*
LOL, Jacob smiled really big when I snapped that one. It was definitely one of the best and captured his spirit. 😀 You know, we had to instruct him on scowling? He wasn’t practiced up.
I’m now more than a 4th of the way through Wolf’s Bard! The going’s really good! I’m sure I’ll be done in time… mwahahaha *carefully omits hundreds of exclamation marks*
I bet you ten to one that J. R. will snag an agent at ACFW (or before then). Balloon Hunter is just that awesome, and he’s proved with KMS that he can do great promotion.
Ooh! I agree about Jacob and the agent. I will personally introduce him to Amanda. I will personally introduce you all to Amanda. I can’t wait for ACFW! Bwa ha ha ha!
HAHA that’d be great! Yes, Amanda would be awesome for The Balloon Hunter, Immortal, or Wolf’s Bard. Too bad she probably won’t want all three at once 😉 With your introduction, maybe one of us will make it though. Who knows? Ah the joys of preparation and picking out which agents to meet with!
And then there’s that OTHER thing we’ll presumably be doing before/after ACFW… *bahaha* That’ll make up for any thwarted agent-fishing, fo sho. 😀
I’d better stop thinking about it and start writing! LOL
Chris met Amanda last year. And I will make sure that she does not forget him. (Who could forget Chris, honestly?) Lots of agents find clients by referals. I can’t force her to like anyone’s project. But I can tell her, this is my buddy, I love their story. They will work hard for you. And, yes, an agent ususally won’t take on a client if she has no idea of what publisher might be interested. So there is all that. But I am happy to do my part to make referals whenever I can.
Hey! If this OTHER thing is really a go, do I get to come watch??? *bats eyes and grins*
LOL I sure hope it’s a go. I think we’ll figure out how to make it work 😀 And of course you’ll get to watch!
Sweet!!!